The stage of ovarian cancer describes how advanced the cancer is and how far it has spread at the time of diagnosis. The earlier the stage of ovarian cancer, the better the survival outlookInformation about the stage of ovarian cancer will only be available after surgery for ovarian cancer.
The stage of the tumour helps doctors decide whether further treatment with chemotherapy is needed. It also gives a guide to the chances of the cancer coming back after treatment.
There are four main stages of epithelial ovarian cancer:
- Stage I: the cancer is only in the ovary
- Stage II: the cancer is found in one or both ovaries and has spread to other areas in the pelvis such as the uterus (womb), fallopian tubes, bladder or bowel.
- Stage III: the cancer is found in one or both ovaries and has spread outside the pelvis to the omentum (the fatty tissue around the organs in the abdomen), the intestines or to lymph nodes in the pelvis or abdomen.
- Stage IV: the cancer is found in one or both ovaries and has spread outside the abdomen (usually in the outer lining of the lung) or has spread to inside the liver.
Find out more about the outlook for different stages of ovarian cancer.
Recurrent or relapsed epithelial ovarian cancer is when the cancer comes back after treatment.
The grade of ovarian cancer describes how similar the cancer cells are to normal cells. There are three grades of epithelial ovarian cancer. Grade 1 is the lowest and Grade 3 is the highest. The lower the grade means the cells are more like normal cells. The chance of treatment being successful is better if the grade of the ovarian cancer is lower.
Outlook for different stages of epithelial ovarian cancer
The outlook for Stage I epithelial ovarian cancer is good. This stage responds very well to surgery alone. Between 80–100% of women who are diagnosed as Stage I survive for more than 5 years.Stage II, III or IV epithelial ovarian cancer means that the cancer is advanced. The cancer usually responds well to initial treatment but often comes back at a later time.
About 20–25% of women diagnosed when epithelial ovarian cancer is advanced survive for more than 5 years. This figure is, however, improving all the time with more effective testing, better surgery, and better chemotherapy.